Ultimate resume and cover letter guide

THE ULTIMATE

GUIDE FOR CREATING YOUR RESUME AND COVER

LETTER By Haya Panjwani

It’s a scary world out there, especially since for the first time in some of your lives, you don’t have any form of school — which might mean that you’ll be entering the workforce. If you have no idea how to apply for a job, don’t sweat it. Most jobs require both a resume and a cover letter, so here’s a walkthrough on how to get started.

For your resume, you’ll want to keep it to one page and make sure you’re hitting on all the important stuff. If you worry your resume may be too long, try looking at the company you plan to apply to and see which of your experiences align most with the role you’re looking at.

Resumes can also vary depending on the type of job you’re applying for. If you’re applying for a job in a creative setting, for instance, as a graphic designer or creative writer, feel free to add some color to your resume to make it stand out. If you have a portfolio, try using the color schemes of that to match how you style your resume. Although, if you plan to apply for a job in a more traditional setting, then it would be best to use a traditional resume. Templates are available everywhere, and the University also provides them through the University Career Services office. When writing your resume, there’s a simple outline that you should follow to give the recruiter the best glimpse into your qualifications. Start with your name at the top of the page with your contact information and a link to your LinkedIn profile and/ or portfolio, if you have either of those. Next, list your education experience. That would include the school you graduated

from, your major and minor, your graduation year and GPA, if it’s higher than a 3.0. You’ll also want to list relevant coursework, so that your potential recruiter knows what classes you’ve taken to deem you good for the job. After education, the largest part of your resume comes in— experience. It’s important to note that if you don’t have experience in a workplace, then you can easily list volunteer experiences where you had significant roles. If you were the director of an organization for years but never worked in an office, go ahead and list that organization as experience. You probably learned a lot from the role that could be used in the workplace. Towards the end of your resume, you’ll want to list any honors, extracurriculars or special skills you may have. This is also where you can list languages you speak, besides English. Most companies will ask for a cover letter to go along with your resume, which should also be one page. A resume can only say so much, so this gives you the opportunity to tell the hiring manager whatever you weren’t able to say through your resume. A cover letter also gives you the chance to show recruiters you know what you’re talking about. Feel free to talk through things you know and understand about the industry, and how you plan to help the company navigate through these things. You’ll also want to show the reader that this is a company you actually want to work for. Do some research on the company. What are their values? What have they accomplished? What about their work environment, does it suit your working style? Answer these questions through your cover letter. In case you get stuck, the internet has a plethora of templates and resources for both cover letters and resumes. Plus, going to this university, you have easy access to the University Career Services office, who can walk you through everything from your first interview to your first day at work. So don’t worry, there’s a whole pack of people here to help. Now go kill it out there in the real world.